THE PROBLEM
Today, the water waste and cleanliness is a global problem. We require fresh water to survive and in the past couple of centuries this resource has become scarce and contaminated. In a 2005 assessment of water quality by the Environmental Working Group, [it was] found [that] a large number of agricultural and industrial chemicals in the nation’s tap water. A total of 140 unregulated chemicals were found from various agricultural and industrial sources for which the EPA has set no safety guidelines. Even more shocking was that over 195 million people in 23,000 communities are exposed to these chemicals—which have been known to cause cancer, reproductive effects, developmental effects, and immune system damage [14]. In addition, around 43 million people in the United States get their drinking water from private wells, of which 20% of surveyed wells contain enough contaminants to noticeably affect human health [13]. This was released in a U.S. Geological Survey report dated March 23, 2009 [15].
Just between 1900 and 1995, the consumption of freshwater around the globe has increased by six times, which is more than twice the population growth rate. However, a large issue for the world’s impoverished has become the threat of their health due to a lack of access to safe water and sanitation. Around the globe, over 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking-water supplies and 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation. Contaminated water, poor sanitation and bad hygiene lead to diseases that have resulted in approximately 1.7 million deaths per year [15]. In research conducted by Annette Pruss-Ustun and her associates [2], they identified the various risks of transmission of disease through water and found that it was extremely high due to the lack of sanitation and sewage treatment on a global scale.
As demonstrated by the facts above, poor access to sufficient quantities of water has led to the contraction of fatal diseases, and has been a major contributor to the current state of our ecosystem. Due, in part to the depletion and contamination of our ecosystem, approximately one-third of the world's population lives in countries with moderate to high water stress and an ever increase in water scarcity. By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population could possibly be living in water-stressed conditions if we continue to consume at the current rate [15].
More specifically, focusing on the topic of current water treatment practices, our failing water infrastructure nationwide is now being described as “a ticking time bomb that’s ready to go off.” In the United States, our outdated centralized systems are failing at an alarming rate. Large amounts of water have been lost to flooding in schools and water mains breaking in just the first three months of 2009. In an article by the New York Times, the EPA reported that over the next twenty years, it would cost a total of $334.8 billion to repair our current water infrastructure [12].
Water ecosystems are essential to the health and well-being of mankind, because they replenish and filter our water resources. However, the use and development of land including the removal of marshes and wetlands, the diversion of surface water or alteration of flows, the increased exploitation of underground aquifers, and the contamination of water by waste and discharges from industry, transport, household and human waste has negatively affected the sustainability of our ecosystems [15].
HOW CURRENT WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES OPERATE [7]
When sewage reaches the water treatment facilities, it has to go through a number of "hoops" before it can be recirculated into our clean water supplies.
Here's how it all works:
The first step in the water treatment process is to “screen” the wastewater flowing into the plant for things such as wood, rocks, and even dead animals. These objects and animals must be removed to reduce the chances of creating problems for the plant later in the process. A majority of these materials are transported to a landfill once they have been extracted from the wastewater.
To direct the water to the water treatment facilities, gravity must lead the water to the plants which are generally located near freshwater so that the clean water can be released into the rivers or other bodies of water once it has been treated. Typically, wastewater treatment facilities are located at low levels to prevent the need for pumps.
The water is first directed into aeration tanks which expose the wastewater to air as well as shake it. This process causes some of the rancid-smelling and unfavorable tasting dissolved gases such as hydrogen sulfide which smells like rotten eggs to be released from the water. Then the wastewater enters a series of long, parallel concrete tanks that are divided into two sections—one of which pumps air throughout the water. Since oxygen is absorbed by the organic matter as it decays, this process acts to replenish the water with oxygen. In addition, the aeration process also forces ‘grit’ such as coffee grounds, sand and other small, dense particles to settle out while the organic material is suspended. The grit is then pumped out of the tanks and taken to landfills.
(Already, as you can tell from the current process, a substantial portion of the waste in the water is transported from one ecosystem to the next—water to land. This is very harmful to the environment and hardly sustainable. In the relatively near future, there will be no place to displace of this waste.)
The second part of the tank deals with sedimentation. In this part of the tank, the sludge—aka the organic matter—and some of the water settles out of the wastewater and is removed from the tanks to go through the “thickening” process which allows the sludge to be processed in large tanks called digesters.
Lighter materials, also known as scum, such as grease, oils, plastics, and soap float to the tops of the sedimentation takes as the sludge sinks to the bottom. The scum is then retrieved by slow-moving rakes skim the surface of the wastewater. Similarly to the organic material, the scum is thickened and then transported to the digesters. Filtration is also used by a number of cities in their wastewater treatment plants. A substance, in most cases sand and sometimes carbon particles, and gravity is used to filter liquid sewage after the solids have been extracted. This method not only gets rid of almost all of the bacteria, it also “reduces turbidity and color, removes odors, reduces the amount of iron, and removes most other solid particles that remained in the water.”
In the last step, the potentially harmful bacteria in the wastewater are eliminated when it is directed to the 'chlorine contact' tank. In most cases, the chlorine eliminated simultaneously with the bacteria, but as a precaution, it is sometimes neutralized by adding other chemicals which protects fish and other marine organisms that can be harmed by the smallest doses of chlorine. The treated water is then released to a local body of water.
(Once again this is not sustainable because it involves a chemical “cleansing.” It is more sustainable to use natural processes to clean the water. Should any of the chlorine not be removed from the water released from the treatment center, the water life is subjected to a toxic chemical for all intents and purposes. Also, whatever chemical is used to neutralize the chlorine could also be transported into the local water resources.)
Like the organic matter and scum, solids removed from the water must be kept in the digesters for 20 to 30 days. In these tanks, the bacteria break down the solids effectively reducing its volume, odors, and getting rid of organisms that can cause disease. Like the matter before it, the solids are dumped in landfills and occasionally used for fertilizer.
THE SOLUTION: THE LIVING MACHINE
Everyone’s well-being is at risk when our water supply is not properly cleaned. I proposed the implementation of living machines in industrial, educational, residential, and leisure settings to clean or water more effectively and to improve the environmental overall. Living Machines are a decentralized solution to the current water treatment process plants that eliminates the expansive AND expensive infrastructure which is constantly in need of repair [12].
Currently, Living Machines have been put to use in sixteen systems in the U.S. and in eight other countries. There are also few in the planning stages. Some of the existing Living Machines have been installed at the M&M/Mars factory, a micro-brewery, and a pet food manufacturer [5]. They have also been installed at Oberlin College, various resorts, and a few lake restoration sites [4]. The current largest Living Machine was installed at a food processing plant in Australia. This particular Living Machine has to the capacity to handle 100,000 gallons of waste per day which equates to about as much waste as a town of 2,000 people would produce [5]. One of the most widely recognized Living Machines is located right here on the East Coast in South Burlington, Vermont where it functions as the Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant. It is a lush “greenhouse where sewage from 1,600 residences is treated to a level of cleanliness surpassing federal Environmental Protection Agency requirements [5].” One of the pioneers of this technology, John Todd, was awarded the Buckminster Fuller Award for his elegant application of the Living Machine to clean up Appalachia’s water supply [4].
The current waterwaste treatment facilities consume massive amounts of money, energy, and resources [4]. Living Machines are a sustainable solution to the current process partly because “they cost about half as much to install as traditional treatment plants laden with concrete and plumbing [5].” The water conserved by the Living Machine as well as the reduction in total cost of treatment and the lack of use of resources also makes it a more sustainable process than the current methods [4]. They are also self- cleaning [9] and modular so that they have the ability to be expanded to meet the needs of an expanding business or community [3]. In addition, Living Machines are a pleasant alternative because they do emit bad odors, they are pleasant to behold, and they can be used as an educational tool when learning about biology and the environment, in general [5].It was said in an interview with John Todd that kids in a school near Toronto that had visited the local Living Machine would "flush the toilet and run around the corner to see what happens” [5]. So, not only is it a sustainable solution to our waterwaste management system but it is also engaging for children who are learning about the environment. In addressing the current global water crisis, World Health Organization recommends recommendations to use systems that have the same functions as a Living Machine [11].
The Living Machines are “part natural and part man-made. John Todd, a pioneer in this process, and his firm re-organize natural resources to transform water from dirty to clean.” In the smallest Living Machines, wastewater flows through at least three different ecological systems that process and filter it using unique means. “Each tank houses a different ecological system that is isolated from the others so that it can treat waste-water based on its own unique needs, after which the water cycles on to the next community [4].” Each ecosystem has a number of different kinds of bacteria and microbes roots that break down pollutants while the plants digest the nutrients embedded in the sewage. As the waterwaste flows from tank to tank and becomes increasingly purified, animals such as fish and snails are strategically placed to join in the water filtration process. At the end of this process, they water comes out of the Living Machine at least clean enough to be used for irrigation, toilet flushing or car washing. The Living Machines are also home to many aesthetically pleasing plants and flowers as well as over 200 species of organisms. It is also a provider of compost material [5].
The only slight issue with this solution, as reported by the EPA to Congress, is that it cannot serve an entire city at its current state [8]. However, this is perfect acceptable considering it is meant to be implemented as a decentralized system.Overall, Living Machines are a sustainable solution to the current system and have positive results for everyone including business owners, the government, students, the environment and society as a whole.
[7] Perlman, Howard. "A Visit to a Wastewater-Treatment Plant: Primary Treatment of Wastewater." US Geological Survey. 30 Mar 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010.<http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wwvisit.html>.
Go Fix It!: Living Machines
Figure 1. INHABITAT | LIVING MACHINES: Clean, Green-Waste Water Recycling
Figure 2. John Todd Ecology Design
THE PROBLEM
Today, the water waste and cleanliness is a global problem. We require fresh water to survive and in the past couple of centuries this resource has become scarce and contaminated. In a 2005 assessment of water quality by the Environmental Working Group, [it was] found [that] a large number of agricultural and industrial chemicals in the nation’s tap water. A total of 140 unregulated chemicals were found from various agricultural and industrial sources for which the EPA has set no safety guidelines. Even more shocking was that over 195 million people in 23,000 communities are exposed to these chemicals—which have been known to cause cancer, reproductive effects, developmental effects, and immune system damage [14]. In addition, around 43 million people in the United States get their drinking water from private wells, of which 20% of surveyed wells contain enough contaminants to noticeably affect human health [13]. This was released in a U.S. Geological Survey report dated March 23, 2009 [15].
Just between 1900 and 1995, the consumption of freshwater around the globe has increased by six times, which is more than twice the population growth rate. However, a large issue for the world’s impoverished has become the threat of their health due to a lack of access to safe water and sanitation. Around the globe, over 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking-water supplies and 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation. Contaminated water, poor sanitation and bad hygiene lead to diseases that have resulted in approximately 1.7 million deaths per year [15]. In research conducted by Annette Pruss-Ustun and her associates [2], they identified the various risks of transmission of disease through water and found that it was extremely high due to the lack of sanitation and sewage treatment on a global scale.
As demonstrated by the facts above, poor access to sufficient quantities of water has led to the contraction of fatal diseases, and has been a major contributor to the current state of our ecosystem. Due, in part to the depletion and contamination of our ecosystem, approximately one-third of the world's population lives in countries with moderate to high water stress and an ever increase in water scarcity. By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population could possibly be living in water-stressed conditions if we continue to consume at the current rate [15].
More specifically, focusing on the topic of current water treatment practices, our failing water infrastructure nationwide is now being described as “a ticking time bomb that’s ready to go off.” In the United States, our outdated centralized systems are failing at an alarming rate. Large amounts of water have been lost to flooding in schools and water mains breaking in just the first three months of 2009. In an article by the New York Times, the EPA reported that over the next twenty years, it would cost a total of $334.8 billion to repair our current water infrastructure [12].
Water ecosystems are essential to the health and well-being of mankind, because they replenish and filter our water resources. However, the use and development of land including the removal of marshes and wetlands, the diversion of surface water or alteration of flows, the increased exploitation of underground aquifers, and the contamination of water by waste and discharges from industry, transport, household and human waste has negatively affected the sustainability of our ecosystems [15].
HOW CURRENT WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES OPERATE [7]
When sewage reaches the water treatment facilities, it has to go through a number of "hoops" before it can be recirculated into our clean water supplies.
Here's how it all works:
The first step in the water treatment process is to “screen” the wastewater flowing into the plant for things such as wood, rocks, and even dead animals. These objects and animals must be removed to reduce the chances of creating problems for the plant later in the process. A majority of these materials are transported to a landfill once they have been extracted from the wastewater.
To direct the water to the water treatment facilities, gravity must lead the water to the plants which are generally located near freshwater so that the clean water can be released into the rivers or other bodies of water once it has been treated. Typically, wastewater treatment facilities are located at low levels to prevent the need for pumps.
The water is first directed into aeration tanks which expose the wastewater to air as well as shake it. This process causes some of the rancid-smelling and unfavorable tasting dissolved gases such as hydrogen sulfide which smells like rotten eggs to be released from the water. Then the wastewater enters a series of long, parallel concrete tanks that are divided into two sections—one of which pumps air throughout the water. Since oxygen is absorbed by the organic matter as it decays, this process acts to replenish the water with oxygen. In addition, the aeration process also forces ‘grit’ such as coffee grounds, sand and other small, dense particles to settle out while the organic material is suspended. The grit is then pumped out of the tanks and taken to landfills.
(Already, as you can tell from the current process, a substantial portion of the waste in the water is transported from one ecosystem to the next—water to land. This is very harmful to the environment and hardly sustainable. In the relatively near future, there will be no place to displace of this waste.)
The second part of the tank deals with sedimentation. In this part of the tank, the sludge—aka the organic matter—and some of the water settles out of the wastewater and is removed from the tanks to go through the “thickening” process which allows the sludge to be processed in large tanks called digesters.
Lighter materials, also known as scum, such as grease, oils, plastics, and soap float to the tops of the sedimentation takes as the sludge sinks to the bottom. The scum is then retrieved by slow-moving rakes skim the surface of the wastewater. Similarly to the organic material, the scum is thickened and then transported to the digesters. Filtration is also used by a number of cities in their wastewater treatment plants. A substance, in most cases sand and sometimes carbon particles, and gravity is used to filter liquid sewage after the solids have been extracted. This method not only gets rid of almost all of the bacteria, it also “reduces turbidity and color, removes odors, reduces the amount of iron, and removes most other solid particles that remained in the water.”
In the last step, the potentially harmful bacteria in the wastewater are eliminated when it is directed to the 'chlorine contact' tank. In most cases, the chlorine eliminated simultaneously with the bacteria, but as a precaution, it is sometimes neutralized by adding other chemicals which protects fish and other marine organisms that can be harmed by the smallest doses of chlorine. The treated water is then released to a local body of water.
(Once again this is not sustainable because it involves a chemical “cleansing.” It is more sustainable to use natural processes to clean the water. Should any of the chlorine not be removed from the water released from the treatment center, the water life is subjected to a toxic chemical for all intents and purposes. Also, whatever chemical is used to neutralize the chlorine could also be transported into the local water resources.)
Like the organic matter and scum, solids removed from the water must be kept in the digesters for 20 to 30 days. In these tanks, the bacteria break down the solids effectively reducing its volume, odors, and getting rid of organisms that can cause disease. Like the matter before it, the solids are dumped in landfills and occasionally used for fertilizer.
THE SOLUTION: THE LIVING MACHINE
Everyone’s well-being is at risk when our water supply is not properly cleaned. I proposed the implementation of living machines in industrial, educational, residential, and leisure settings to clean or water more effectively and to improve the environmental overall. Living Machines are a decentralized solution to the current water treatment process plants that eliminates the expansive AND expensive infrastructure which is constantly in need of repair [12].
Currently, Living Machines have been put to use in sixteen systems in the U.S. and in eight other countries. There are also few in the planning stages. Some of the existing Living Machines have been installed at the M&M/Mars factory, a micro-brewery, and a pet food manufacturer [5]. They have also been installed at Oberlin College, various resorts, and a few lake restoration sites [4]. The current largest Living Machine was installed at a food processing plant in Australia. This particular Living Machine has to the capacity to handle 100,000 gallons of waste per day which equates to about as much waste as a town of 2,000 people would produce [5]. One of the most widely recognized Living Machines is located right here on the East Coast in South Burlington, Vermont where it functions as the Municipal Sewage Treatment Plant. It is a lush “greenhouse where sewage from 1,600 residences is treated to a level of cleanliness surpassing federal Environmental Protection Agency requirements [5].” One of the pioneers of this technology, John Todd, was awarded the Buckminster Fuller Award for his elegant application of the Living Machine to clean up Appalachia’s water supply [4].
The current waterwaste treatment facilities consume massive amounts of money, energy, and resources [4]. Living Machines are a sustainable solution to the current process partly because “they cost about half as much to install as traditional treatment plants laden with concrete and plumbing [5].” The water conserved by the Living Machine as well as the reduction in total cost of treatment and the lack of use of resources also makes it a more sustainable process than the current methods [4]. They are also self- cleaning [9] and modular so that they have the ability to be expanded to meet the needs of an expanding business or community [3]. In addition, Living Machines are a pleasant alternative because they do emit bad odors, they are pleasant to behold, and they can be used as an educational tool when learning about biology and the environment, in general [5].It was said in an interview with John Todd that kids in a school near Toronto that had visited the local Living Machine would "flush the toilet and run around the corner to see what happens” [5]. So, not only is it a sustainable solution to our waterwaste management system but it is also engaging for children who are learning about the environment. In addressing the current global water crisis, World Health Organization recommends recommendations to use systems that have the same functions as a Living Machine [11].
The Living Machines are “part natural and part man-made. John Todd, a pioneer in this process, and his firm re-organize natural resources to transform water from dirty to clean.” In the smallest Living Machines, wastewater flows through at least three different ecological systems that process and filter it using unique means. “Each tank houses a different ecological system that is isolated from the others so that it can treat waste-water based on its own unique needs, after which the water cycles on to the next community [4].” Each ecosystem has a number of different kinds of bacteria and microbes roots that break down pollutants while the plants digest the nutrients embedded in the sewage. As the waterwaste flows from tank to tank and becomes increasingly purified, animals such as fish and snails are strategically placed to join in the water filtration process. At the end of this process, they water comes out of the Living Machine at least clean enough to be used for irrigation, toilet flushing or car washing. The Living Machines are also home to many aesthetically pleasing plants and flowers as well as over 200 species of organisms. It is also a provider of compost material [5].
The only slight issue with this solution, as reported by the EPA to Congress, is that it cannot serve an entire city at its current state [8]. However, this is perfect acceptable considering it is meant to be implemented as a decentralized system.Overall, Living Machines are a sustainable solution to the current system and have positive results for everyone including business owners, the government, students, the environment and society as a whole.
REFERENCES
[1] "About Eco-Machines." John Todd Ecological Design. 2009. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://toddecological.com/eco-machines/>.
[2] Annette Pruss-Ustun, David Kay, Lorna Fewtrell, and Jamie Bartram. "Chapter 16: Unsafe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene." Comparative Quantification of Health Risks. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.who.int/publications/cra/chapters/volume2/1321-1352.pdf>.
[3] "Benefits of Restorers." Living Technologies Ltd. 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.ltluk.com/benefits.html>.
[4] Chen, Olivia. "LIVING MACHINES: Clean, Green Waste-Water Recycling." Inhabitat. 6 Aug 2008. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://inhabitat.com/2008/08/06/living-machines-turning-wastewater-clean-with-plants/>.
[5] Hallowell, Christopher. "'Living Machines' That Make Water Out of Sewage." Time.com. 22 Mar 1999. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.time.com/time/reports/environment/heroes/heroesgallery/0,2967,todd,00.html>.
[6] Paolo Vassallo, Chiara Paoli, MauroFabiano. "Emergy Required For the Complete Treatment of Municipal Wastewater." Elsevier. Ecology Engineering 35 (2008): 687-694. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.rpi.edu/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6VFB-4VFJS4V-1-5&_cdi=6006&_user=659639&_pii=S0925857408002668&_orig=search&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2009&_sk=999649994&view=c&wchp=dGLbVzW-zSkzk&md5=b8cef776aa5fd14437dff528d0b9053d&ie=/sdarticle.pdf>.
[7] Perlman, Howard. "A Visit to a Wastewater-Treatment Plant: Primary Treatment of Wastewater." US Geological Survey. 30 Mar 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010.<http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wwvisit.html>.
[8] "Response to Congress on the AEES "Living Machine" Wastewater Treatment Technology. Apr 1997. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/200047YB.txt?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=1995%20Thru%201999&Docs=&Query=832R97002%20living%20machines&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=3&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=pubnumber^%22832R97002%22&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&UseQField=pubnumber&IntQFieldOp=1&ExtQFieldOp=1&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A\ZYFILES\INDEX%20DATA\95THRU99\TXT\00000009\200047YB.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h|-&MaximumDocuments=10&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=p|f&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1>.
[9] "Technical Background to the Eco-Restorer System." Living Technologies Ltd. 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.ltluk.com/technical.html>.
[10] "Waste Water Technology Fact Sheet: The Living Machine." US EPA. Oct 2002. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/living_machine.pdf>.
[11] "Water Facts: Fact Details." Living Machine. 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.livingmachines.com/water_facts/detail/the_value_of_natural_systems_in_water_treatment/>.
[12] "Water Facts: Fact Details." Living Machine. 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.livingmachines.com/water_facts/detail/aging_water_infrastructure/>.
[13] "Water Facts: Fact Details." Living Machine. 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.livingmachines.com/water_facts/detail/water_quality_of_private_wells_a_concern/>.
[14] "Water Facts: Fact Details." Living Machine. 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.livingmachines.com/water_facts/detail/large_numbers_of_unregulated_chemicals_are_in_your_tap_water/>.
[15] "Water, Health and Ecosystems." World Health Organization. 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010. <http://www.who.int/heli/risks/water/water/en/>.